HONOREES 2013

CAMILLE WARDROP ALLEYNE Ed.D.
NASA Rocket Engineer/Space Scientist

Camille Wardrop Alleyne Ed.D. will receive the Excellence in Science and Technology Award.

The Trinidad born aerospace engineer is one of a few women of color and the only woman of Caribbean descent in a senior management position at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A finalist in the Astronaut selection program, and the recipient of several recognition awards from NASA, she has played a lead role in the design and development of space vehicles, among them the state-of-the-art Orion crew exploration vehicle.

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LEANNA ARCHER

will receive the first ever Visioneur Award.

As the youngest person to ever ring the NASDAQ Stock Market opening Bell, Leanna Archer has been recognized as a Teen CEO to watch. At the tender age of 9 years old, Leanna became the CEO of her own hair product line, Leanna’s Inc. With her great grandmother’s secret recipe, Leanna decided to bottle, package and sell the hair products that had been in her family for generations. Today, at 15 years old, Leanna is running a successful enterprise that yields over $100,000 in revenues per year.

Not only is Leanna a successful Teen Entrepreneur, but she is also a voice of inspiration for today’s youth. Leanna is a motivational speaker and has dedicated her time to the enrichment and progressive movement of today’s teens. She has been a speaker at the Black Enterprise’s Teenpreneur’s Conference, has been a panelist at the “ What Makes A young Champion” Forum in Singapore, and was a speaker at the 2009 NAACP Youth Workshop, where she was honored for her entrepreneurialism. Apple has even sought after Leanna and requested her attendance at the 2010 Education Leadership Summit, an invite-only forum gathering hundreds of Education executives dedicated to bringing innovation and technology to the classroom.

ETIENNE CHARLES

Jazz Musician and Composer

Etienne Charles will receive the Trail Blazer Award. Charles is considered one of the most compelling and exciting young jazz artists ushering the genre into groundbreaking new territory as trumpeter/bandleader, composer and Professor at Michigan State University. With three well-received albums under his own Culture Shock Music imprint, Etienne’s music is a captivating journey of new jazz expression, that taps into a myriad of styles from the calypso of his native Trinidad to rock steady, reggae, kongo, rock and R&B.

GUY HARVEY, Ph.D.

World-renown Oceanographer
&
Marine Artist

Dr. Guy Harvey will receive the Luminary Award. A world renowned oceanographer, Harvey is widely recognized as the world’s finest marine wildlife artist. He combines his unique artistic talents with his background as a marine biologist, diver, photographer, cinematographer, and angler, to create marine wildlife art with an unmatched authenticity and visual appeal. As Founder of the Guy Harvey Research Institute, the Jamaican UWI graduate works with many organizations around the world, sharing his love for the sea through the production of documentaries — plus the hit television series “Guy Harvey’s Portraits From The Deep.

JIMMY JEAN-LOUIS

Actor

Jimmy Jean-Louis will receive the Excellence in the Arts Award. Revered for his role as “The Haitian” in the hit TV series Heroes, Jean-Louis has been developing his craft alongside Hollywood A- Listers since leaving the Paris runways and moving to Los Angeles. As Founder of Hollywood Unites for Haiti, he is turning his talents to the craft of reimagining rural Haiti as a staging ground for opportunity. With the recent starring role in Toussaint L’Ouverture under his belt, Jean-Louis’ search for excellence moves to higher heights.

FREDDY McGREGOR

Reggae Legend

The Hon. Frederick (Freddy) McGregor O.D. will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Freddy known the world over as Captain, is one of reggae music’s enduring voices and is the consummate performer and musical Ambassador. With more than 25 albums to his credit, McGregor celebrates his 50 years in the music business with a Grammy nomination, several hits and a catalogue that remains in great demand the world over from Poland to Japan, With his music now hitting the sound track of our lives, McGregor’s music will no doubt continue to sooth hearts with the hope only music can deliver. .

SHALA MONROQUE

Style Maven

Shala Monroque will receive the Vanguard Award. Shala was named the muse for the House of Prade and was the first Caribbean model to grace the covers of Style magazine Town & Country. Now a stylist for several leading brands, Monroque who is St. Lucian, has broken boundaries in the world of high fashion and art. Socially aware, Shala is lending her brand to the promotion of coral and sea conservation, thus helping to redefine the role of Caribbean fashionista to mean beautiful mind as well as beautiful face. .

DEBORAH PERSAUD, M.D.

HIV-AIDS research pediatrician

Deborah Persaud, M.D. will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Medicine Award. As an Associate Professor of Pediatric Medicine at Johns Hopkins and Director, Infectious Disease Fellowship Program, Dr. Persaud is on the frontlines in the ongoing race to find a cure for HIV/AIDS. Persaud made the Times Top 100 List for her success in curing mother to child transmission. Born in Guyana, Persaud was also winner of the prestigious Elizabeth Glaser Prize which awarded her $600,000 for research.

KIM WATSON

Corporate Community Leader

Kim Watson will receive the Outstanding Community Service Award. Described as a consummate communicator, Watson counts among her honors, recognition by the Maryland State Black Caucus, honors for her Leadership in the Black Community. As VP for Community Affairs of PEPCO, Jamaica-born Watson has ample opportunity to turn her natural tendency for community development to the benefit of the underserved in the DC Metro area as well as to the Caribbean through Jamaica Women of Washington.

2013 Awards

CAMILLE WARDROP ALLEYNE Ed.D. NASA Rocket Engineer/Space Scientist